29th station

29th (Chicago "L" station)

Company type	Rapid transit station
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	June 6, 1892 (1892-06-06)
Defunct	August 1, 1949 (1949-08-01)
Headquarters	Chicago , United States

29th was a rapid transit stop on Chicago's "L" South Side main line, initially constructed by the South Side Elevated Railroad and inaugurated on June 6, 1892, as one of the first ten stations in the system. In 1911, the South Side Elevated combined with three other companies to create Chicago Elevated Railways (CER), which later consolidated into the Chicago Rapid Transit Company (CRT) in 1924. Public control was established in 1947 under the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).

After CER's establishment, services on the South Side and North Side main line were interconnected with various branches. The CTA subsequently optimized operations across both lines. Known for consistently having the lowest ridership on the South Side main line during most of its existence, 29th station was closed alongside several other North-South line stations on August 1, 1949.

Originally, the station consisted of two wooden side platforms adjacent to two tracks. In 1907, its brick station houses were demolished and replaced with mezzanine structures to enhance alley access beneath the tracks, coinciding with the addition of a third express track.

History

The South Side Elevated Railroad was founded in 1888 to link downtown Chicago with the Indiana border. Its initial rapid transit segment began operation on June 6, 1892, running between Congress and 39th Streets, including a stop at 29th Street. The line rapidly extended southward, reaching 55th Street by late 1892 and Jackson Park by May 1893 for the World's Fair.

In 1907, a franchise allowed for installation of a third express track, necessitating removal of station houses north of Indiana station, including those at 29th. These were replaced by simpler mezzanine facilities to keep alleys unblocked.

In 1911, the railroad merged with three others to form Chicago Elevated Railways (CER), connecting South and North Side lines through the Loop. CER operated until the companies formally unified as the Chicago Rapid Transit Company (CRT) in 1924. After prolonged discussions about municipal ownership, the publicly owned Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) was created in 1945 and assumed control of the "L" on October 1, 1947.

Due to decreasing patronage, CTA shut down numerous North-South line stations on August 1, 1949; among them was 29th, which had long been the least-used station in that region.

Operations and connections

A streetcar line ran parallel along State Street beside the "L".

Ridership

Between 1900 and 1949, ridership at 29th remained among the lowest on the main line. Its highest recorded annual passengers numbered 549,776 in 1903; ridership last surpassed 200,000 in 1928. This low demand mirrored patterns north of Indiana station where even busier stops such as 22nd and 35th failed to reach one million annual riders after 1927. Conversely, stations located between 43rd and 58th consistently served over one million passengers annually throughout the 1940s, with Cottage Grove exceeding two million.

In its final complete year of operation (1948), 29th accommodated 133,052 passengers—a decline of 8.69% from 145,714 in 1947—and recorded 67,873 riders during its partial service period in 1949. In terms of ridership rankings for 1948, it placed 193rd out of 223 "L" stations and was fourth-lowest among south side stations still active at that time, behind Congress Terminal, Parnell, and Princeton on the Englewood branch.